MADRID, 17 Oct. (EDITIONS) –
The attacks that have occurred in kyiv this morning, causing two explosions in the center of the Ukrainian capital and in which at least one person has died and 18 have been rescued, respond to a tactic in which Russia is using kamikaze drones or UAV (abbreviations used in English for “unmanned aerial vehicle”).
The Ukrainian authorities affirm that these are attacks with Shahed drones, remote-controlled drones manufactured since 2021 by the Iranian army, and used by this country in the Yemen War. According to US intelligence, Russia has bought them from Iran and uses them in its air strikes against Ukrainian cities.
They are called “kamikazes” or “suicides”, since their attack involves the self-destruction of the device crashing into the target. According to the Ukrainian media specialized in Mezha technology, the Shared-136 used in the attacks is 3.5 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, weighs 200 kg and has a speed of 185 km/h. They can fly at 4,000 meters and their main weapon is their payload, 50 kg of explosives.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense itself published in September images of these drones shot down by its air defense and denounced the purchase by Russia of Iranian weapons, something that US intelligence confirmed in August. The European Union will discuss possible sanctions against Iran if the sale of this weaponry is proven.
The Russian military uses them under the designation “Geran-2” as part of their air strikes, although most of them are shot down by Ukrainian air defenses. In today’s attack, only 5 out of thirty drones have managed to reach kyiv, the rest being shot down by the Ukrainian army, according to the mayor of kyiv, Vitali Klitschko.
According to CNN, Ukraine has, in addition to its air defense systems, combat drones similar to those used by Russia. The chief of staff of the Ukrainian Executive, Andriy Yermak, has denounced the attacks this morning and has asked for more help in air defense systems.
